Sticky Rice Recipes

Xôi lá dứa is a very popular snack/dessert in Vietnam. It's made of pandan-flavored steamed sticky rice covered in sweetened, fragrant coconut milk. Sticky rice can be flavored in many ways and there are plenty of savory versions as well, but our favorite is the one prepared with pandan leaves. To save time and add extra flavor, I used store-bought pandan paste in addition to the pandan leaves and also added coconut powder and coconut milk. Don't be fooled by the vegan aspect of this festive dessert, I serve it in small portions because of its rich properties.

The more authentic way of serving xôi lá dứa is to present it family-style on a large platter and to pair the sticky rice with freshly-grated coconut shreds and powdered, sweetened peanut and sesame garnish.

First of all, chúc mừng năm mới(Happy New Year of the Horse!). A new, fabulous year is beginning, and to celebrate, I started the day very early this morning wrapping and rolling a lot of vegetarian eggrolls to ring in the New Year! I also prepared xôi vò, which is a popular Vietnamese snack consisting of coconut milk sticky rice and mung beans. Cậu Hoà (my uncle) is going to be stopping by today and I plan on serving this to him with green tea. It's his favorite.

Xôi vò is a very simple, easy snack to prepare. Simply soak mung beans (hulled and split yellow beans) and sticky rice separately ahead of time, then cook and steam the pandan-scented rice, coconut milk and a sprinkle of sugar. That's it. If you're Asian, you know how lightly sweetened Asian desserts are. If you're like my husband, "lightly sweet" is an understatement and you probably won't call this a dessert. Again, I guess it's a cultural thing. If you’re tasting xôi vò for the first time, consider it a nutritious, fragrant snack with a light hint of sweetness that pairs wonderfully with tea.

We're a week away from the Vietnamese New Year celebrations (called Tết). I've decorated the entrance of our home with cherry blossom flowers that I decorated with red envelopes that contain "lucky money", called lì xì. I've also picked up brand new dollar bills and placed them in the red envelopes to give to children. The tradition dictates that the first morning of the New Year, adults congratulate children on becoming a year older by giving them these lì xì envelopes.

Many Vietnamese desserts are served as well, before "offering" them to ancestors. I've gathered some of the Asian sweets that are prepared for this celebration.

Xôi xoài Thái Lan, in Vietnamese, literally translates to "mango sticky rice from Thailand". It's a very popular dessert in Asia; steamed sticky is rice covered in sweetened, fragrant coconut milk and paired with freshly-cut mangoes, then drizzled with thick, syrupy coconut sauce and sprinkled with lightly toasted sesame seeds.

I made this dessert is because I had leftover pandan leaves that I used in the recipes I developed for my second cookbook, Banh Mi, available since July 18th. By the way, it was named "Best Book of the Month" (July badge) on Amazon. Also, my husband's teenage sisters, Sunny, Lya, Mimi and Lala (that's what Aria calls them) spent last month in Asia. I was surprised when they got back that they asked for this sweet treat, because it's such an easy, common Asian dessert.

It really satisfied their craving and I hope it brought back good memories of their time on the beaches of Thailand and Vietnam.

Lulu and I recently went to a Japanese sushi bar and enjoyed platters of delicious rolls. When I came home, I was determined to serve the same gorgeous-looking sushi for the family. I reinterpreted the caterpillar sushi with a combination of hoisin sauce and kaffir lime sauce. The caterpillar outer layer is imitated with thinly sliced avocados. Unlike most of the "fancy" sushi rolls you'll find at restaurants, this one's vegetarian.

I have to admit I was very proud of how they turned out. And to my surprise, it wasn't that complicated. Sometimes, improvisation ends up with beautiful results!

Don't forget to enter your name and email address to be able to participate in my Haute Potato Cookbook contest. I will pick one winner next Monday. And if you already have a copy, I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a review on Amazon. Thank you!